Messages - amoebalaw

I've seen a huge variation in types of questions, so I'll give this advice:

Plan your interviews later in the day. That way you can speak to people who already met the interviewer, and you can feel out if there were any ridiculous questions (and ask how they answered), and prepare accordingly. Everyone was pretty forthcoming about their experiences.

This saved me on several surprising questions where I might otherwise have stammered, but was lucky enough to have prepared good answers.

Do a google search, you'll find a ton of outlines. Lexis also makes outlines for first-year courses.

Most professors I've talked to insist that you should make your own outline, at the very least for the benefit of organizing your materials and thoughts, and doing a thorough review of the course. (I made all my own, although it was helpful to compare it with some classmates, after we had each completed ours)

If you are going to use a commercial outline, it's recommended more as a supplement, to fill in areas you don't quite understand. (although you really should go to your professor or classmates for help)

Of course, to each their own. If you really find outlining to give you a huge headache and that it is confusing you more than helping, maybe a commercial outline is the way to go...

"You need to take each and every piece of advice that you read or receive with a grain of salt. There is no one way to do law school. There is nothing that you absolutely "need" because what I need to do to get As may not necessarily be what you need to do to get As."

Damn right.

Figuring out what works best for you as soon as possible will be the key.

Try a little bit of everything, and when you figure out what works go with it. And even then, you have to be flexible, because every class is different, as is every professor.

And yes, if you enjoy this kind of puzzling exercise, then law school can be fun!

For what it's worth, more than one of my professors mentioned how much they hated looking up and seeing a bunch of laptops instead of students' faces. A lot of students hide behind their computers, and even if/when they do speak, they talk down into their computer and are difficult to hear.

I took notes by hand, did all my outlines and exams on computer, and felt just fine -- no trouble making a transition.